Page 26 - March 2021 Voices

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Leverage Zoom Breakout Rooms

Leanna Lindquist, DTM

Does Your Club Take Advantage of Zoom • Welcome the guest and let him know how
Breakout Rooms? If you have attended a contest, the meeting proceeds

you know Zoom has a breakout room feature. When the meeting is over, if your club is like
Evaluation contestants, judges, and ballot mine, several members will hang around and
counters “zoomed” there. chat. It’s important that our desire to converse
There is another way we can use a Zoom with our friends does not overshadow our guests.

breakout room. Remember a year ago when We don’t want them to “end” their attendance
we met in person? If a visitor walked through at our meeting before we have a chance to talk
the door, one of us greeted him and started a with them. To see if they have questions. To
conversation. A conversation that others could see if our club might be a good fit. To convince

join if they so desired. them that Toastmasters is a great place to grow.
At the end of the meeting, the VP Membership That our club can fulfill their needs.
reengaged with the visitor. Took him aside at This is where a breakout room is invaluable.
the back of the room and offered information. Last week at my club meeting we had two guests.

Thanked him for visiting. Another member or One was on his third visit, the other on her
two joined in. We invited him to visit next week. first. The meeting came to an end and several
We exchanged smiles. We made a connection. members started a conversation. A conversation
Those were the good old days. Hey they will that did not include our guests. As the Zoom

return soon, we hope. master, I invited them to a breakout room. The
In the meantime, we can use Zoom breakout Club President followed. Our other members
rooms to simulate the back of the room. It is continued with their conversation. The President
my experience, in the world of Zoom, that the and I chatted with our guests. A conversation

visitors contact the club in advance. That gives among four people seemed exactly right. We
a club the opportunity to create a visitor’s plan. talked about Pathways, dues, Club meetings, our
• Let the prospective visitor know they website, and opportunities. They had the space
should arrive a few minutes early to ask us questions. We had a chance to connect

• Determine who will arrive early to with our potential new members. It felt more
welcome the guest personal than remaining in the meeting room
• Have the designated member “take” the with everyone else. Our third-time guest? He
guest to the breakout room joined the next day. Our first-time guest will be

26 ONE COMMUNITY